Weekend Open Forum: Best and worst video game sequels?

For better or worse, the gaming industry has made it standard practice to create sequels and spin-offs of popular titles year after year.

While it’s easy to blame it on a lack of originality, the truth is sales suggest that people like returning to familiar themes. Some best-selling franchises, like the Call of Duty series for example, are on a once-per-year model and carry publishers through the all-important holiday shopping season.

Of course big sales are not always indicative of a game’s quality or enjoyability. The trick is to pack just enough old to serve as a solid foundation and just enough new to prevent boredom and lack of interest. Some sequels in recent years that seem to have gotten the balance right include Starcraft 2, Portal 2, and Skyrim, while others like Duke Nukem Forever fell flat on their face.

In this Weekend Open Forum we want to ask: what are some of your favorite video game sequels of all time, and which franchises should be put to rest already (or given an extended vacation)?